Risks & Prevention:
The only way to cure or protect oneself from
a viral infection is to be born with a strong
immune system that responds quickly to infection or be vaccinated prior to
infection, respectively. A vaccine simply
increases the immune systems arsenal against
future foreign invaders by allowing the body to
produce antibodies against viral antigens prior
to infection, rather than having the body go
through a rigorous process to produce antibodies
at the initial time of infection (Figure 4).

Figure 4. A highly simplified
illustration depicting the effects of
immunization. Vaccination allows the recipient
to become sensitized to the viral antigen, so
that when a real virus enters the host, it is
rendered inactive by memory B cells that can
immediately detect the pathogen and induce an
immune response.

To prevent infection in
newborns, and people of all ages, receiving the
vaccine is highly recommended. All newborns
receive the vaccine at birth, and receive
the second and third dose by their second
birthday. The vaccine is a
combination
vaccine
using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast)
with a plasmid containing the HBsAg antigen and
has been available since the early-1980s. Once a
person has been vaccinated, there is no need for
a booster, and 98 to 100% of people vaccinated
show immunity.